Speculative Fiction Workshop

Speculative fiction is an exciting and fast-evolving genre. This course will offer writers the chance to develop one to two speculative short stories and to participate in a critique workshop with peers. Along the way, we will study craft and learn from stories written by some of today's most prominent voices, such as Hiromi Kawakami, Marlon James, Nalo Hopkinson, Octavia Butler, Neil Gaiman, Samuel R. Delany, Ursula K. Leguin, and Haruki Murakami. We will also use class time for writing prompts and exercises that expand creativity and pertain directly to the short story writing happening outside of class.
The course is open to writers of any level interested in speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, horror, slipstream, etc.). Participants should be prepared to actively develop short stories; read and discuss examples; and offer thoughtful, considerate feedback to their fellow classmates. You will hopefully walk away from this course more confident in your speculative writing and with clear next steps for revising and submitting your short stories to magazines and anthologies!

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.